


Skipping Stones

by stolen_pen_name23



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hurt/Comfort, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mentioned Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, One Shot, Padawan Anakin Skywalker, Post-Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Pre-Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, Young Anakin Skywalker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:55:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27818611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stolen_pen_name23/pseuds/stolen_pen_name23
Summary: One year has passed since Qui-Gon’s death and Obi-Wan can’t bear to bring himself back to the temple knowing his Master won’t be there. Instead, he brings Anakin camping to “meditate.” Angst and fluff ensue.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 18
Kudos: 97





	Skipping Stones

**Author's Note:**

> I really did set out to write just a fluffy one-shot but I couldn't help dropping a little angst in there just for funsies.

A year had passed and with it, much of the pain. Time is funny like that. With every passing day, the ache that always accompanied even the mere thought of Qui-Gon Jinn transformed into a memory that Obi-Wan could look upon with fondness rather than regret. More and more he found himself shedding the weariness that so often accompanied grief. Though the pain persisted, Obi-Wan was on the verge of understanding what it meant to find peace in the aftermath of tragedy. 

In spite of his revelations, it still hurt, and it hurt even worse than usual today. 

_One year_. One full year with a young and rambunctious Padawan. One full year as a knight. One full year without his Master. 

He palmed a river stone, turning it over absentmindedly in his hand. This wasn’t  _ the  _ river stone, the one Qui-Gon had given him all those years ago. No, that one was carefully nestled in a pocket inside his tunic, close to his chest where such things belonged.  _ This _ river stone was nothing special at all. Just a gray little rock, devoid of spirit and made smooth and flat by years of lying dormant underwater. 

His gaze shifted from the flat stone in his hands to the river before him. It was perfectly still on the top, though Obi-Wan knew there were likely dangerous currents running just beneath the surface. He wouldn’t let Anakin play in it for that reason, though he suspected the slight chill in the air would be enough of a deterrence.

For once, he and his apprentice were graced with a moment of peace. They had finished their mission a day ahead of schedule and while they could have returned to Coruscant early, Obi-Wan really couldn’t bear the thought of returning home on this day of all days when he knew his Master would not be there. Instead, he decided to take Anakin camping out into the planet’s beautiful forests. He told Anakin they would use their extra time on the planet for reflection and meditation which was not a lie, it just wasn’t his full reasoning.

As he sat quietly on the rock overlooking the river he could sense the boy approaching him.

“Did you finish setting up the tent?” Obi-Wan asked. He himself had already finished his tasks, which included collecting firewood, starting the fire, boiling some water, and prepping rations for themselves. All Anakin had to do was set up the tent, which he took his sweet time in doing. 

“Yes, Master.”   
  


“And is it going to stay upright, even if a light breeze brushes against it?” Obi-Wan said, a half-smile quirking his lips.

“Yes, Master,” Anakin said with an eye roll. 

“Very good, Padawan. Thank you.”

Anakin nodded and joined him in sitting on the boulder overlooking the small river. Obi-Wan could feel Anakin’s desire to ask a question, but he could also feel his hesitation.

“What is it, Anakin?”

Anakin looked surprised, but he hid the expression quickly. 

“Oh uh, it’s nothing. I just wanted to know why we didn’t go home earlier since our mission is over and all that.”

“I already told you, I wanted us to have some time to meditate.”

“We can meditate at the temple," Anakin said, confusion lining his face. "You make me meditate at the temple all the time.”

“Sometimes it’s better to have a change of scenery.”

“I thought you liked the temple.”

“Of course I like the temple. Can a Master not want to spend some extra time away with his apprentice?”

“But you never want to do that.”

_ Ouch. _

“Of course I do, Anakin,” Obi-Wan insisted. “You’re so often busy with classwork and I’m busy teaching. That is why I’m taking the time now.” 

Anakin looked at him with narrowed eyes.

“You’re hiding something. I can sense it.”

Only a year in and the boy could recognize when Obi-Wan was not being fully transparent. 

“I’m not hiding anything, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said in vain, hoping he would let the whole thing go and just  _ enjoy  _ his day of freedom. 

“Then why don’t you want to go home?”

“Anakin, please. That’s enough.” 

“Why won’t you just tell me?” 

The silver-tongued Jedi found himself fumbling for words. “Because I am your Master and as your Master, I’m not required to tell you anything.”

“That doesn’t seem fair.”

“Not everything has to be fair.”

“But…”

“Would you just drop it, Anakin?” he snapped. 

Hurt flooded their bond before Anakin quickly snapped his shields down. He jumped off of the boulder and walked dejectedly back to their tent. 

Obi-Wan sighed and put his face in his hands. A year in and he was doing this all wrong. Who was he to train  _ the chosen one _ ? 

He continued to turn the river stone over in his hands as he stared out at the water. What would Qui-Gon have said? How would he have handled it differently? Would he have handled it better? Almost certainly. Obi-Wan had no idea what he was doing. He was in over his head and it was on days like this where he really felt like he was drowning. Over time, his raw grief had dissipated significantly, but his anxiety that he would fail his apprentice had only ratcheted up. 

He took a deep breath and mentally reprimanded himself.  _ Get it together Kenobi.  _

He thought about returning to the tent and apologizing to Anakin, but he still felt too unbalanced. Instead, he returned his attention to the river in front of him and focused in on it, centering himself around the body of water as he slipped into a comforting meditation. He closed his eyes and let himself drift, focusing on the cool air as it entered his lungs. The organic smell of dirt and decaying leaves permeated his senses and helped pull him farther into his meditation. However, the sound of leaves crunching underfoot was what ultimately pulled him from his introspection. 

“Hello Anakin,” Obi-Wan said softly without turning around or opening his eyes. He didn’t need to. He could always sense the tumultuous cloud of emotion that accompanied his young Padawan more often than not. Obi-Wan only hoped that he could provide the right lessons, the right answers, to whatever it was his student was currently seeking. 

“Master?” Anakin said quietly. “Are you okay?”

Obi-Wan hadn’t known what Anakin was going to ask, but he didn’t expect that. Still clutching the river stone, he opened his eyes and turned to the boy. 

“Everything is fine, Anakin. I didn’t mean to snap at you before, I was…” Obi-Wan started.

“No, Master, I’m sorry,” Anakin interrupted. “I completely forgot what day it was. It’s been a year since… well... I shouldn’t have pried, I just…”

“Anakin it’s okay.”

“No, I… you miss him… and I just make everything worse… and I…”

“You do  _ not  _ make everything worse, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said sternly. “Quite the opposite in fact.”

“But I…”

“Anakin, it is forgotten,” Obi-Wan said. He had no desire to dwell on the subject any longer. Instead, he motioned to Anakin to come join him back on the boulder. “Come, Padawan. Breathe with me.”

Anakin did as requested, residual guilt giving way to an uncharacteristic display of compliance. 

After some time spent sitting in silence and matching each other’s breaths, Obi-Wan looked down at his student. 

“A bond between a Master and Padawan is very unique, Anakin,” Obi-Wan finally said, breaking their light mediation. “You know more than most how difficult this year has been for me.”

Anakin looked up at him with wide blue eyes.

“A part of me wishes you had known me before,” Obi-Wan continued. “The beginning of my Padawanship wasn’t... easy… to put it lightly. But after a while, Qui-Gon and I found our rhythm. We found each other in our bond just as you and I are finding each other in our bond. I was… happy.”

Anakin sat stock-still, listening with bated breath to Obi-Wan speak openly.

“I would have died for him. I would have traded places with him in an instant. In the moments after his death I begged the Force to take me instead,” Obi-Wan said, his eyes downcast. Then he laughed dryly. “I have found that the Force is not so easily bargained with.” 

The confession seemed to take Anakin by surprise. Obi-Wan felt piercing blue eyes boring holes into him. “I’m glad you didn’t die, Master,” Anakin said in a quiet but firm voice. 

Obi-Wan stared at his hands, turning the lifeless river stone over and over in his fingers. “I suppose I am too, though I wasn’t at first.”

Obi-Wan sensed his Padawan’s deep concern and decided he needed to put Anakin’s fears to rest before they began. “I’m glad I survived. And I’m glad that you are my Padawan. Truly.” 

Before Anakin could say anything, Obi-Wan tossed the river stone he had been clutching like a lifeline with a flick of his wrist. The stone skipped four times on the still river surface before sinking to the bottom.

Anakin looked at Obi-Wan like he had just sprouted wings. “Master!  _ How did you do that? _ ” 

“Do what?” Obi-Wan questioned, confused by his Padawan’s sudden mood shift. 

“You made it jump! On the water! How did you do that?” Excitement soaked through Anakin’s tone. 

“The stone?”

“Yes! Did you use the Force? Can you show me?”

“No, I did not use the Force,” Obi-Wan said, a grin beginning to dance behind his eyes. “But I can show you how to do it.”

Obi-Wan hopped off the boulder and began searching the stone covered beach for just the right one. “Come. Help me find a smooth, flat stone like the one I just threw. Nothing too heavy or too small.” 

“Will this work?” Anakin questioned holding up a blue-gray stone.

Obi-Wan examined it. “No, it’s not flat enough.” Obi-Wan handed him a flat stone. “Here, take this one.” 

Anakin turned it over in his hands, examining its features. Obi-Wan found another similar stone and held it in his hands. 

“Now, Padawan, look at how I hold the stone. Put it in between your thumb and index finger. See, like this,” he said, showing off how he held the stone. Anakin copied him, concentration lining his brows. 

“Now, you don’t want to throw it overhand because it will just sink. You want to angle your body slightly away from the water and toss it from the side. See?” Obi-Wan modeled the stance and Anakin copied it. 

“When you throw it, you’re going to want to flick your wrist so it spins. Like this,” Obi-Wan said as he tossed his stone. It skipped three times across the river. 

Anakin narrowed his eyes in concentration and did as Obi-Wan instructed him to do. The stone immediately sunk as it hit the water.

“It didn’t work,” Anakin said, frustrated.

“That’s alright, it took me a while to figure out how to do it too,” Obi-Wan said placatingly. “Look. Toss the stone at a slight angle, but not too much.” 

Obi-Wan modeled it again and managed to skip the stone four times. 

Anakin heeded his advice and tried again. And then he tried a few more times. On what was going to be his final attempt, the stone bounced twice on the river’s surface. “I did it!” he squealed with excitement.

“Very good,” Obi-Wan said, blue eyes lit up with a joy Anakin rarely saw in him. “Keep practicing. Then you will get really good at it.”

Anakin scrambled along the beach, searching for the perfect skipping stones. He giggled with delight as he skipped stone after stone across the river.

After a particularly good throw, Anakin paused and looked up at Obi-Wan with wide-eyes.

“Master?”

“Yes, Padawan.”

“How did you learn how to do this?”

Obi-Wan stopped mid-throw and looked at the smooth rock in his hands before a genuine smile traveled to his lips.

“My Master taught me.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Come talk to me on tumblr [@stolen-pen-name23](https://stolen-pen-name23.tumblr.com/)!


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